Fair Trade Towns – what’s it all about?

This is a big topic – I won’t throw it all at you in one go. Here’s a beginning:

For more than a year I’ve been working with others in our community to make Bethlehem a “Fair Trade Town”. What’s that all about then?

A Fair Trade Town meets five criteria:

1) it has a steering committee – to organise awareness-raising events etc;

2) a proportion of retailers/cafes carries at least two FT product lines – a town the size of Bethlehem needs at least seven;

3) a proportion of local organisations and institutions (faith groups, non-retail businesses, schools, community groups etc) commits to serving FT at meetings and events – again, Bethlehem needs at least seven of these;

4) the local FT Town campaign generates public interest in Fair Trade issues, including media coverage – such as a blog in the TU! We’ve also featured on WAMC and get regular mentions in the Spotlight;

In Bethlehem we have already met the first four goals, and hope soon to achieve the fifth…

The goals are determined by an overseeing body, Fair Trade Towns USA, and are based on criteria developed in the UK where the Fair Trade Towns movement began 10 years ago. Achieving the goals is a proven way of effectively promoting social justice through Fair Trade at grassroots level – the main aim of the movement.

In my next entry: what will it mean (and what won’t it mean) to live in a Fair Trade Town?

23 Responses

Is there a governmental body that regulates whether or not a town is a Fair Trade town, or is it some non-profit organization that is makes the designation and criteria?

I gotta be honest, Anna – I know everyone has their cause, but if you want to do some good work, why not help out the underprivileged in our immediate community, like the South End or Arbor Hill neighborhoods in Albany? Fair trade seems to be benefiting those halfway around the globe – why can’t we focus our time and energy on helping those that live 10 miles away?

My understanding is that these are run by “non-profits” that charge fees to the farmers they are trying to help. I am sure these farmers do benefit, but a townwide resolution makes me worry. Why does the town need to be a part of this? Sounds like happy-horse-hockey to me.

It’s a non-profit – Fair Trade Towns USA, an offshoot of TransFair USA – that provides the criteria. Each town itself is responsible for deciding when it has met these, and at that point declares itself a Fair Trade Town.

Helping people in our immediate vicinity is vital, of course, but I don’t see that it’s of lesser importance to help people living far away too. There are lots of us – can’t we do both?

Yes, producer communities/cooperatives pay an audit fee to FLO Cert (the on-the-ground certifying body of FLO). The fee is based on the size of the organization, as larger/more farms take much more time to certify. These fees serve two purposes. First is to make the certification process itself sustainable, but it also serves to ensure that the farmers are really invested in meeting the standards. In the past, before the fees, there was not much incentive for producers to continue meeting the requirements after they were certified because it was a free process, so why not do it once and get the short term benefits?

Almost all certifications charge these fees. Organic certification is very expensive and that is one reason that while a lot of Fair Trade certified farms actually meet the organic certification requirements, they are not in fact certified organic, because they have to save for a while before they can afford the certification. Once they do, though, the payoff is significant, so again, it is a true investment on their end.

If you tell me specifically what worries you about a townwide resolution I’ll try to answer your concerns. The main reason for seeking to involve a town’s governing body in the process is to demonstrate that our elected leaders recognise the value of the designation.

This sort of reminds me of those dance/cheerleading competitions that teenage girls participate in with private dance studios, where everyone gets a trophy and is designated a “Superstar” or “1st place”. Are we a “Fair trade town” because some non-profit deems us as such, based on their own criteria? Is it the non-profit doing the certification?

I’d like to know a few things about this non-profit, including the members of its board of directors, the salaries of its leadership, how long its been around for, and what governmental entities recognize its validity. What is the opinion of our federal government on being a free trade town?

“Importance” is a relative and personal term. Could you be more specific on what value the town would receive in the designation, other than in terms of some residents’ philosophies/ideologies? Is there a tangible benefit of some sort to the town?

Anna, your discussion does nothing to explain what “Fair Trade” is! It seems self serving in that you mention all the steps you have secured and the steps you need to complete your mission but does nothing to describe what Fair Trade is intended to do. It really concerns me when groups like yours start requiring town governments get involved in your “cause”. Why don’t you just leave the govenment out of it? This is not the purpose of our government. Please explain what “Fair Trade” is!!! You mention the term “Organic” above. Just because something says it’s “Organic” doesn’t necessarily mean it is “Organic” or any better or worse for you.

From a psychological standpoint, Dansfan34, people have to follow their heart to make any lasting impact, because such impact requires follow-through, thus the heart. Greatness seems to come from people identifying with their own DNA, so to speak, and how it can relate to doing something meaningful in the world.

See Danesfan34, your ability make people feel bad about their ambitions, as you wonder why a mouse can’t be an eagle or a mayor a president, is something that comes natural to you and anyone else doing what you do on these blogs would have given up months ago if they saw the amount of pain they have caused. You are in it for the long haul, as I hope Anna is.

How many great things have come of something that started without the intention of changing the world – but because of the good intentions, the world has changed. Thanks for posting this Anna, and the efforts you have made to make this a better place… oh and to dignify some of the comments – wonderful.

@5 – Give me a little more time, Danesfan, and I’ll try to explain in a post how becoming a Fair Trade Town achieves more than just giving ourselves a pat on the back.

Meanwhile, if you would like to find out more about TransFair USA, visit their website: http://www.transfairusa.org. They welcome questions, so if you don’t find answers on the site you should ask. As for the opinion of our federal government, I cannot speak for them, you should ask them.

While conscious that I will never convince everyone, I shall at least give it my best shot!

I don’t see why having proposing that our town board pass a resolution might cause a stir. It costs the town nothing. Town and city and federal legislatures pass resolutions all the time to recognize achievements or draw attention to issues or worthy causes.

What’s not to like about fair trade? Who doesn’t want, in Anna’s words: “fair pay, safe working conditions, no forced child labour, gender equity, environmental sustainability and direct trading partnerships in the global marketplace.”
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As for the ‘pure socialism’ argument, I’ll keep that in mind when I visit my socialist Post Office, or visit veterans at the socialist VA Hospital, or stand in line at the bank as the senior citizens deposit their Social Security checks.

Applause for putting yourself out there for criticism. I, too, support Fair Trade and hope we can become a town that endorses it more fully, whether officially or unofficially. Even in these tough economic times (perhaps because of them) we need to remember that much of our material goods come from sweatshops, less-than-subsistence level farmers and other unfairly paid producers. Just a few cents extra (gasp, maybe a dollar more for one’s favorite coffee!) we can buy more responsibly and ensure that our out of control consumerism will at least support producers and their families in developing nations.

Second, to Anna – as Jeff said, you do deserve praise for putting the issue out there for some open debate. As I said earlier, I don’t see the point of Fair Trade, but I’m happy to be convinced otherwise, and it sounds like you’re going to be your case out there. I look forward to learning more about it in the coming months.

Finally, to Michael – I think we should all learn a little bit more about Fair Trade before jumping on the bandwagon and embracing it within the Town. While you’re correct that towns constantly pass resolutions or ordinances for nice, happy causes, don’t you think it would be nice to have our Town Board thoroughly understand what they’re voting on? While I have no reason to disbelieve Anna, there are always two sides to every story. We would basically be advocating for approval of fair town status from a non-profit corporation – don’t you want to know more about it?

Everyone, here and around the world, is our neighbor. I think that most fair trade food items can not be grown in our US climate, thus no competition to US farmers.

So, I don’t see any problem with lending a helping hand to our neighbors, locally or abroad, when it means that they have an opportunity to better themselves.

Anyone needing to be convinced, need only do a websearch, just as if you were looking to buy a new appliance, etc., and you should be able to find an abundance of information. 34 and one half million sites on google alone!

I’m suprised by the “rah-rah” mentality of people who are so ready to jump on the FairTrade bandwagon without really understanding the details behind it. Not that I’m comparing Anna to Harold Hill (points for anyone who understands that reference), but can we have actually focus on the issues behind fair trade instead of acting like lemmings and jumping off the cliff at the first feel-good cause that comes the Town’s way?

I read the 3 sites listed. They seem to criticize big corporate America, for using fair trade products to show “how caring” they are, when in fact these large corporations are on the bandwagon for their own self promotion and gain. And yes, there is mention of some unscrupulous producers getting certified, and than abusing that certificate because they weren’t regulated.

Milk marketing regulations are far more complicated than most people think. They are a mixed up hodgepodge of Federal and State regulations that seem to favor the dairy processors, rather than the milk producing farmers. Take a look at this “map” to see how much of the US market just one milk processor controls. http://www.deanfoods.com/brands.aspx That Meadow Brook label is not the same as our local Van Wie family MeadowBrook Farms. Also wander over to Teri Conway’s TU blog. http://blog.timesunion.com/farmlife/3837/the-dairy-lawsuits-and-another-farm-gone/ Be sure to read ALL the links.

I have a great respect for farmers, and am thankful that all my life they have put food on my table – in more ways than one.

Since Freddie mentioned it, I’ll take the opportunity to plug our local MeadowBrook Farms delivery service. They have the freshest milk and most delicious eggs delivered straight to your door, and at a price that is competitive or not better than Price Chopper or Hannaford. I’ve used them for a few months, and have not only been proud to support our local economy, but absolutely delighted with their product. Phone number to reach them is 768-2451 – you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t use them for your dairy needs.

I’ve been thinking about this for a bit, and I have to say that I sort of agree with DanesFan about this, especially wrt Michael’s post.

I mean, yeah, I get that people make purchasing decisions based on things that are more than the bottom line. If you do that, then I’m really happy for you; you’ll go to Heaven and I’ll have to merely hope to hide in your trunk. And, I get that towns can make non-substantive proclamations about all kinds of stuff. We honor this, and give that it’s own Day, fly a flag, hand out the Key as whimsy strikes us. I’ve no real issues with that. But, this does strike me a little different because, if I understand it correctly, this is not merely an honor, but an actually endorsement of particular vendors or particular types of vendors over other types. It’s good to consider (insert your favorite cause here) when you buy something, but putting the stamp of gov’t on it is a little too coercive to me. Individuals telling others what to buy is fine, I suppose, but having your elected officials to you what to buy? Not for me. Although, people tell me that Atlanta is a Coca-cola town, so obviously blending state and purchasing recommendations is not without precedent.

@17 – thanks, Danesfan34, for the links. They seemed to be quite balanced critiques. My feeling is that they come out rather in favour of FT, taking certain questions into account.

Fair Trade, like any human endeavour, is imperfect and the articles you link to fairly describe the issues. To its credit, the Fair Trade movement doesn’t shy away from discussion of these issues and is open to constructive criticism, debate and suggestions for improvement. It is a “work in progress”, and seeks to evolve and improve. Meanwhile, it is succeeding in doing much good in the world – here are some examples: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/12/ethicalliving.lifeandhealth. We should take care not to reject the good for want of the perfect.

I applaud you for taking such an interest in this subject and for doing your research. For your next homework… you could take a similarly critical look at conventional/free trade in relation to coffee and cocoa production and see what’s going on there.

And @21, our opinions differ but I can understand and respect your viewpoint. To my mind, elected representatives are empowered to speak to labour conditions/evironmental standards in this country, and I don’t have a problem with them expressing an opinion on similar issues as they relate to overseas production of products we buy and use here. There is some precedent in this state for our representatives speaking out on sweatshop conditions, for example: http://www.labor.state.ny.us/pressreleases/2009/December10_2009_1.htm

Under Fair Trade Town status, no business or individual is rewarded/penalised for participating or not in Fair Trade. But the Town makes a public statement that it respects the ideals of the Fair Trade movement: that work – wherever it occurs – should take place under acceptable conditions and be fairly compensated.

@18 – Jack11, if this is an issue you feel strongly about you should certainly take action. Danesfan’s suggestion to buy direct from MeadowBrook Farms seems like a good place to start.